Are sports drinks, such as Gatorade, recommended for people with diabetes?

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says yes, but be careful. Some sports drinks have a large amount of sugar and could affect your blood glucose.

Of course, drinking some kind of fluid after exercise is important: You should drink at least 2 quarts of fluid a day to avoid dehydration, says the ADA. Drinking an extra 4-8 ounces of fluid for each 30 minutes of intense exercise will help your body achieve peak performance and recovery. Water is your best bet.

If for variety, you drink something other than water, know that sports drinks contain about 15-20 grams of sugar and 50-70 calories per 8-ounce serving. The other problem is that the drink’s sugar is often in the form of fructose corn syrup, an especially difficult form of sugar for your body to metabolize.

Read the labels and compare ingredients, sugar and carbohydrate amounts before choosing these products. And always check your blood sugar levels before and after exercise to make sure they fit into your plan for that day.

Listed below are some sports drinks and the grams of sugar and calories for each:

Allsport, 8 ounces: 70 calories, 19 g sugar

Powerade, 8 ounces: 70 calories, 15 g sugar

Gatorade, 8 ounces: 50 calories, 14 g sugar

Reprinted from 101 Tips for Simplifying Diabetes by the University of New Mexico Diabetes Care Team. Copyright by the American Diabetes Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.